Squib Guardian
by Ozma
Summary: COMPLETE. Now, with Author's Notes added. Sequel to Squib Summer. Snape unintentionally leaves a breach in the Castle's defenses when he creates an Alchemist's Door. Snape and Filch attempt to seal the breach.
1. A Caretaker's Work Is Never Done

Squib Guardian  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
A sequel to Squib Summer  
Chapter One(of Two): A Caretaker's Work is Never Done  
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling  
(My special thanks to Darklady,  
Myrtle's very own bathroom design consultant!)  
"Well, that's it then," Hagrid said. He slung the large sack   
containing his belongings up onto his shoulder, then he looked down at   
me. "I'm off. Yeh'll be all righ', Filch. I'd tell yeh not ter worry   
while I'm gone, but it'd be the same as telling yeh not ter breathe."  
  
I sputtered indignantly.   
  
The half-giant grinned, then his expression sobered as he turned   
away from me to take leave of his dogs. Fang the massive boarhound and   
Fluffy the even more massive Cerberus gathered around their master,   
whimpering sadly and licking Hagrid's face and hands.  
  
The big man murmured endearments at the pair of drooling beasts.   
They were told "ter be good boys an' look after each other, the Castle   
and the 'old git,'" (meaning me).  
  
"I'd tell you not to do anything reckless while you're away," I   
said to Hagrid, gruffly, "but you'd need to overcome the habits of a   
lifetime first." My voice cracked. Saying good-bye, knowing that it   
could very well be for the last time, did not grow any easier with   
practice.  
  
Hagrid clapped me on the back. The rough, comforting gesture said   
what neither of us could put into words.  
  
Then I felt something else. A surge of powerful magic had reached   
out to both of us. The Castle itself was reacting to Hagrid's leaving.   
To my surprise, the half-giant was clearly aware of it too. The   
groundskeeper watched my eyes grow wide.   
  
"Hagrid? The Castle...y-you...!"  
  
The Keeper of the Keys nodded gravely. "Dumbledore said that yeh'd   
already bin Noticed," he murmured.  
  
"When...?"  
  
The half-giant put the bundle down on the ground by his feet. "The   
firs'... no, it was the second night that Harry and yeh spent in   
hospital. Dumbledore was away with poor Harry o'course, an' I was here   
alone. Summat came. I'm not sure what, jus' that it was Dark. It moved   
through the Forest, tryin' ter rouse the Wild creatures, bind em ter its   
will, an' set 'em against the Castle.  
  
"Aragog an' his family, the centaurs... all of 'em could feel it.   
I felt it too. Buildin' a spell, tryin ter tear down walls inside me,   
walls that I never knew were there."   
  
The look in Hagrid's dark eyes as he spoke was deep and   
fathomless. I was reminded that he belonged to a lineage more ancient   
than any Pureblooded wizard could claim.  
  
"Imagine summat trying ter be Master o'the Forest!" Hagrid   
growled, shaking his shaggy head. He grimaced. "Stupid! The Forest's   
much too old and Wild fer that. The creatures who live there belong ter   
themselves. They'd go mad or die afore they'd call anyone or anything   
'Master!' I was afraid fer myself an' fer them. The thought of 'em   
tearin' themselves ter bloody scraps, breaking themselves against each   
other..."  
  
The dogs reacted to Hagrid's anger. Fang pressed up against his   
master's knees, whimpering while Fluffy's heads nudged at the half-  
giant's shoulders anxiously. The Groundskeeper rested a hand on each   
dog's back and continued more softly. "I had ter save 'em. Only, I didn'   
know what I could do on my own."  
  
"And you Called to the Castle for help," I murmured, remembering   
how it had been for me. Ginny and Neville trapped at my side, death   
everywhere around us and all hope lost.  
  
Hagrid nodded. "It was like reaching out ter summat that'd always   
bin there, jus' waiting fer me ter turn around an' see," he said,   
softly. "It filled me up. So much power, I couldn't bear ter hold it fer   
more'n a minute or two at a time. So it came an' went, but it never went   
far. I stayed up all night, wandering through the trees. Spoke ter   
whoever an' whatever I saw. Dunno what I said. Or even what I did ter   
break the spell that the Dark thing was tryin ter build."  
  
He sighed. "I'm sure I don't have ter tell yeh how weak an' hurt   
an' broken up I felt when it was over an' the Magic let me go fer the   
las' time. I jus' fell down like I was dead. Dumbledore found me the   
next morning, with Firenze watching over me. He had ter get me back out   
a' the Forest on his own. I couldn' have walked ter save my life. Had   
ter stay in bed fer a couple a' days after that. Bin getting my strength   
back ever since. Olympe's bin worried, but I'm alrigh' now."  
  
I shook my head in amazement, wonder and sympathy. "You're very   
lucky, Hagrid," I told him. A wave of guilt swept over me. I had noticed   
that Hagrid was looking a bit tired but, preoccupied with my own recent   
hospital stay, I'd had no idea what an ordeal he'd just been through. "I   
would have been dead after a night like that. Maybe even the Headmaster   
would have..."  
  
"Dumbledore said that bein' Noticed isn't healthy fer most   
ordinary witches or wizards," Hagrid murmured. "'But yer not ordinary,   
are yeh, Hagrid?' he said ter me, 'an' neither is Filch.' Then he told   
me that yeh've got more stamina than he's got when it comes ter havin a   
cozy chat with the Castle."  
  
"That can't be true," I protested.  
  
"The Castle talks ter yeh far more often than it talks ter him,   
and fer longer, too," Hagrid said firmly. He looked annoyed with me for   
presuming to doubt Dumbledore's word on the subject.  
  
"Well, you've certainly got more stamina then either of us have   
got," I said, shuddering. No one else could have done what Hagrid had   
done in the Forest. Not even Dumbledore, and certainly not me!  
  
Then I frowned. "Hagrid? Would you have told me any of this if I   
hadn't asked you?"  
  
Hagrid had picked up his bundle again. We started walking. "Why do   
yeh think the Castle gave both of us a nudge at jus' the right moment?   
So yeh *would* ask. I may not have bin doin' this fer as long as yeh and   
the Headmaster have done. But I know that we can trust the Castle ter   
make Its wishes known whenever It needs us ter do summat."  
  
Slowly we headed towards the front gate, with the two dogs ambling   
beside us.   
  
"Something tried to use the Forest against us. What if that Dark   
thing comes back?" I said, nervously.  
  
Hagrid looked fierce. "Let it. Aragog an' the centaurs were taken   
by surprise once, but they're on their guard now. An' so are a lot o'   
other creatures besides. It won' happen again, Filch. Filch...?"  
  
I'd fallen behind him. A horrible thought had just occurred to me.  
  
"Hagrid, according to our original plans, you were supposed to   
have left Hogwarts by then. If I hadn't got into that business with   
Potter, the Sphinx and the Harpy and ended up in hospital, the Castle   
would have been under *my* protection instead of yours. If not for   
Potter..."  
  
"Poor Harry," Hagrid said, quietly. "Whatever he does an' whatever   
happens ter him always seems ter have a lot more effects than anyone   
realizes, or can see at firs' glance. 'Cept fer Dumbledore, o'course."  
  
Without wanting to, I found myself remembering an unsettling   
conversation that Dumbledore and I'd had recently. I'd seen the   
Headmaster weary and troubled, suffering self-doubt.   
  
I didn't have the heart to mention these things to Hagrid. The   
half-giant's boundless faith in the Headmaster's omniscience was   
something that helped him to stay strong.  
  
Though I remained quiet, my emotions must have shown in my face.  
  
"Don' worry so, Filch," Hagrid said. He clapped me on the shoulder   
again, rather gently, for him. "Enjoy yer summer. I'll see yeh when I   
come back."  
  
*******  
  
Together the dogs and I watched the half-giant's carriage until it   
was out of sight. Fang and Fluffy broke into a chorus of mournful howls.   
I was tempted to join them. Hagrid had been the last one to leave. Now I   
was alone, the sole guardian of Hogwarts.  
  
*******  
  
Plumbing chores still remained to be done in various parts of the   
Castle, and I'd promised to start painting in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom   
later tonight. The ghost-brat had approved the use of a rather nice pale   
green shade for her walls. She had also grudgingly agreed to consider a   
tasteful lilac hue for the stalls.  
  
That evening, after feeding Fang and Fluffy, and then breaking up   
an altercation between Myrtle and Peeves (the wretched Poltergeist had   
made off with Myrtle's collection of paint samples and her catalogues of   
bathroom fittings) I retired to my office for some peace and quiet.  
  
One of the house-elves had left my dinner for me, resting in a   
covered dish on my desk. During the summer it is customary for me to eat   
breakfast in the kitchen with the house-elves, and lunch and dinner   
wherever I happen to be working. There was fried fish, which Mrs. Norris   
was pleased to share with me (though she'd been given a portion of her   
own) boiled potatoes and strong, sweet tea. The sort of food that I find   
most comforting whenever I am feeling desolate. The house-elves, bless   
them, always know.  
  
While I ate I perused the additions, alterations and other   
suggestions that Alastor Moody had owled me for the Door forms. Then I   
wrote him a note, approving the changes and telling him to proceed with   
the printing. The old Auror had taken charge of that end of things.   
  
After working my way through some more paperwork (ordering   
supplies for the September term) I relaxed a bit and re-read the two   
letters I'd received that morning.  
  
One was from Neville. It seemed that his relatives were insisting   
that he learn how to swim. Neville's account of his swimming lessons had   
been written with the boy's usual self-depreciating good humor. My young   
friend waved at me from the accompanying photograph, looking cheerful   
and brown.  
  
The other, longer letter was from Minerva. First she'd assured me   
that she, Black and young Potter were well. (The Animagi had been able   
to let Potter know about their presence, which had done much to raise   
the boy's spirits.) Then she'd described an interesting encounter at   
number four Privet Drive.  
  
Minerva, in cat-form, had been curled up in a sunny spot on the   
Dursleys' garden bench. She was keeping a close watch on the boy as he   
trimmed his aunt's flowerbeds.   
  
Naturally Sirius had also wished to be near his godson. But while   
the presence of small tabby cat in their back garden had gone   
unremarked, the appearance of a bear-sized black dog had provoked an   
armed response from within number four.  
  
Harry had been happily scratching his godfather behind the ears   
when Dudley Dursley had emerged from the house. The Muggle boy had   
looked frightened but grim-faced. He'd been clutching something called   
(according to what Potter had later told his Animagi guardians) a   
'Smelting stick.'  
  
"Potter! Get back!"  
  
"What? Why? He's perfectly friendly. Put down that stick, you're   
scaring him!"  
  
"I don't think that's a dog!" Dudley had growled.  
  
"He looks like a dog. What else could he be?" Potter had grabbed   
Sirius, who'd started growling back at Dudley.  
  
Dudley had given Harry a look of furious exasperation. "You're the   
one that goes to a fr... magic school! It *could* be anything! Now, get   
away from that thing before it puts you on its back, drags you off and   
drowns you!"  
  
"Drowns me? In what? The birdbath?" Harry had placed himself   
between his godfather and his cousin. "Dudley," he said, after looking   
bemused for a few seconds, "you're thinking of Kelpies. Kelpies usually   
look like HORSES."  
  
"So? It's trying to catch you off-guard! Have you ever seen a dog   
that size? Maybe it's like that horrid grey thing that looked like an   
old woman and tried to eat you!"  
  
"He's *nothing* like her at all!" Harry had snapped. Then his tone   
softened. "Dudley, how'd you know about kelpies in the first place?"   
  
"There's tons of stuff about cr-creatures on the internet!   
Dangerous freaky things from *your* sort of places! Oh!" Startled, the   
Muggle boy had stared down at the sleek tabby rubbing against his   
ankles.  
  
"I suppose you're going to tell me that she's not really a cat?"   
Potter had asked his cousin wryly. "Look, Dudley, I appreciate the   
research, but they've both got tags. They're here with Mrs. Figg's   
cousin, Minerva. She's come for a visit. Now put the stick down before   
Snuffles bites you."  
  
*******  
  
"As you can see," Minerva wrote, "Harry has gained an additional   
protector. Even Sirius, once he got over his incredulity and annoyance,   
approved of Master Dursley's vigilance and the boy's instincts. It is   
gratifying to learn that Harry's recent ordeal has awakened a sense of   
familial responsibility in his cousin."  
  
"I do hope that Harry will explain to Dudley the correct way to   
overcome a kelpie should they actually encounter one," she had added.  
  
Like Minerva and Sirius, I was surprised and pleased by young   
Dursley's newly protective attitude towards Harry. Potter needed all the   
friends he could get. Dudley, as Potter's blood relative, was a more   
powerful ally than most people would suspect.  
  
*******  
  
Comforted by the letters and fortified by dinner, I proceeded up   
to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to begin painting. I'd already scraped the   
old, dingy paint off the walls, and neatly patched up the cracks. And   
drop cloths were in place on the floor.  
  
Despite my careful preparations the work was stressful.   
  
"That's white!" Myrtle wailed as soon as the first roller-full of   
paint was on the wall. "We agreed on GREEN!"  
  
"The walls have to be primed first," I said, trying not to snap at   
her. "I'll start with the green when the primer is dry."  
  
Watching me skeptically, Myrtle hovered right at my back while I   
worked. Being observed in this way is every bit as irritating as it   
sounds. Thanks to Myrtle's proximity, my teeth were soon chattering.  
  
"Myrtle, haven't you got anything better to do?" I growled.  
  
"Not for the past fifty years or so." For once her tone was   
perfectly dry. "I've been thinking that tiles would look very nice on   
the lower half of the walls."  
  
"T-Tiles?"  
  
"It'd mean less painting for you." Her voice had turned almost   
brisk.  
  
"Tiles?" I wheezed.  
  
"Don't keep saying that as if you've never even heard of the   
things! There's catalogues full of tiles. I was thinking of something in   
lilac, to match the stalls. Or maybe something a bit darker. Perhaps a   
nice shade of plum."  
  
"Plum?"  
  
"Yes," she murmured thoughtfully. "With the grout tinted to match,   
naturally. And of course we'd need new sinks too."  
  
"You want plum sinks?"  
  
"Oh, no. I was thinking of something in a nice shade of rose for   
them! To match the new floor! But, we'd have to do the ceiling first.   
I've decided that I want rose-pink for the ceiling. Now, about the   
stalls..."  
  
Setting the roller carefully into the paint-tray, I leaned wearily   
against an unpainted section of wall.   
  
Tiles for the lower half of the wall. New sinks. New floor. New   
ceiling. If the ghost-brat had her way I would be kept slaving in this   
bathroom all summer long!   
  
This was all Sirius Black's fault. If only young Dursley had given   
Black at least one good whack with that stick! It would have served the   
Pup right...!   
  
*******  
  
A couple of hours later Myrtle's bathroom walls had a coat of   
white primer and I had a headache. I had tried explaining the potential   
difficulties involved in attempting to get the school's board of   
governors to approve such a costly redecorating scheme, but Mrytle   
seemed convinced that I was 'just being difficult.'  
  
"You know perfectly well that they'd approve of anything you   
wanted them to approve of!" she wailed.   
  
After a quick stop in the hospital wing for some of the headache   
potion that Poppy had left for me, I went to my room, changed into a   
clean nightshirt and collapsed into bed.  
  
The next thing I knew, someone was shaking my shoulders. I heard   
the small voice of Winky, the house-elf.  
  
"Wake up, Argus Filch!"   
  
The headache potion had made me sleep heavily. Winky shook me   
again, harder. "You is needed at Castle's front gate! NOW. Professor   
Snape is there. If Argus Filch does not come, Fluffy will be tearing   
poor Professor Snape to pieces!"  
  
Severus!  
  
Dreadfully groggy, I thanked Winky and stumbled out of bed.   
Calling black-and-yellow, I hurried barefoot through the tapestry and   
emerged by the Castle's front gate, directly between the Potions Master   
and the growling Cerberus.  
  
Snape had other protectors. Small black Azoth was an inky shadow   
by his wizard's feet. Mrs. Norris, gold eyes gleaming, had placed   
herself in front of the Potions Master. Even Fang, who was glad to see   
anyone that he knew, stood at Snape's side happily wagging his tail. But   
Fluffy, mindful of his duty, was undaunted by this show of support for   
his prisoner. None of the three heads stopped growling at Snape until I   
appeared.  
  
"Good boy, Fluffy!" I said, rising on tiptoe to stroke each head   
in turn. "It's all right, you can let the Professor go now. I'm going to   
walk him up to the Castle."  
  
Having performed his job satisfactorily, the Cerberus obediently   
trotted off into the darkness to resume his watch.  
  
Severus had been waiting for me, calm and cool, despite the   
growling Cerberus. I was relieved that he hadn't done anything to   
provoke Fluffy.  
  
Withdrawing his wand from his sleeve, Severus murmured "Lumos," to   
give us some light. Still yawning and bleary-eyed, I looked the Potions   
Master over as carefully as I could. To my relief, he appeared much as   
usual. I could sense no Dark magic around him. Whatever he'd been up to,   
at least he hadn't incurred the Dark Lord's wrath in the recent past.  
  
"You look dreadful, Filch," Severus said dryly as he examined me   
in turn. "Don't tell me. Let me guess. Myrtle's bathroom?"  
  
I nodded, miserably. "It's gone far beyond a simple coat of paint,   
Professor. Now she wants the entire place redone! And it seems that   
there are more shades of pink and purple in this world than I ever   
thought possible."  
  
Severus smiled, but said nothing.   
  
(Later, I realized that he'd had an air of suppressed energy and   
excitement about him. I should have been on my guard. My weariness was   
no excuse.)  
  
After escorting Professor Snape to the Castle, where I knew that   
Winky and several other house-elves were busy making his room ready, I   
crept back into my warm, soft bed.   
  
Fang had accompanied Mrs. Norris and me. I drew the line at   
allowing the boarhound to sleep on my bed, but pity for his loneliness   
had compelled me to allow him to sleep by my fire. I missed Hagrid too.  
  
*******  
  
My dream was unusually vivid.   
  
Old Apollyon Pringle stood before me, large as life and twice as   
angry. His iron grey hair was a wild halo around his head and his brown   
eyes glared at me from beneath bristling grey brows. His gnarled,   
knobbly hands were clenched angrily at his sides.   
  
At least I didn't see the whip or belt that I half-expected to see   
clutched in his right hand. (The brats who attend Hogwarts these days   
think that *I'm* harsh. They have no idea how fortunate they are.)  
  
"Filch!" the old Caretaker snarled at me. "What did I teach you?   
Always keep an eye on the brats! Professors and students alike, you   
can't turn your back on them for a minute!"  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
"Don't be sorry. Just wake up! For good or ill, the thing has been   
made. And now, for everyone's sake, it's got to be put away, in its   
proper place. It's much too dangerous to be left lying about!"  
  
*******  
  
Awakening with a start, my heart pounding, I sat bolt upright in   
bed. The sun had risen, but the day was grey, overcast and gloomy.   
Green-and-silver was already waiting for me on the wall of my bedroom.  
  
"Stay here," I told Mrs. Norris, who was curled in front of the   
fire beside Fang. Without giving her a chance to accompany me, I shoved   
my feet into my slippers and hurried through Salazar's Door.  
  
I emerged into the dungeon corridor outside the Potions Classroom.   
The terrible cold all around me was enough to freeze my blood. It was   
like stepping into a harsh winter night. The thin nightshirt offered me   
scant protection, but I hadn't taken the time to change into anything   
warmer. My breath misted in the air. The walls, ceiling and floor of the   
dungeon corridor were coated with ice. I sighed, exhaling a puff of   
vapor. This was what I'd been afraid I'd find.  
  
My vivid dream had been more than a dream. Hagrid had been right;   
the Castle would find a way to make Its wishes known whenever it had   
'summat' that needed doing. At least speaking to me in a dream was less   
painful than the Castle's prior method of communication had been. If   
'the thing had been made' then perhaps the danger to Severus alone had   
already passed. But the creation of the Alchemist's Door evidently posed   
a threat to the Castle somehow.  
  
I did not know who to feel sorrier for, myself or Severus. The   
young wizard had been the first one to create an Alchemist's Door in   
over a thousand years. And now, it appeared to be the Castle's will that   
I should take the Alchemist's Door away from him.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	2. Fixing a Hole

Squib Guardian  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
a sequel to "Squib Summer"  
Chapter Two (of Two): Fixing a Hole  
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling  
Shivering, I moved carefully across the icy floor of the corridor   
towards the closed door of Snape's classroom.   
  
"Professor!" I shouted, banging on the door. The wood was cold   
against my fist. Closing my eyes, I focused on Snape's protective Wards.   
There was the expected *Excutio* spell, accompanied by a *Duro* Charm.   
But no hexes or curses, thank Merlin. "Let me in!"  
  
The door opened.   
  
"Of course, Filch. If only to save you the bother of breaking my   
door down," Snape said, sardonically.   
  
The Potions Master was pale and weary. He looked as cold as I   
felt. But the aura of controlled excitement in him was palpable. And   
there was a glow of fierce, joyous satisfaction in his eyes. He moved   
back so I could enter.   
  
My eyes swept anxiously around the classroom. The few remaining   
student tables and chairs had been moved back against the walls. A small   
empty white cauldron was in the middle of the floor, resting on a metal   
stand. The Bloody Baron floated near the white cauldron. His staring   
eyes held an expression both proud and triumphant.  
  
I saw Azoth. The small black tomcat was enclosed within a heavily   
Warded protective circle. Despite his wizard's obvious efforts to keep   
him safe and comfortable, Azoth was agitated. His eyes glowed like   
cobalt lamps and his tail bristled with anxiety as he lashed it back and   
forth.  
  
Severus had placed Azoth as far from a second Warded circle as he   
possibly could. The chill of a thousand winters seemed to be emanating   
from within its center. Resting on the floor inside it was a full-length   
oval mirror.   
  
The Alchemist's Door.  
  
I moved slowly past Severus to study his handiwork. I could feel   
the power radiating from the mirror. Focusing my senses on both Door and   
Wards, I stepped to the very edge of the circle.  
  
The Baron was an icy presence at my side. "Caretaker," the ghost   
intoned. "Our task is complete."  
  
"This mirror will be stable, at any temperature," Severus said   
with justifiable pride. "My error lay in trying to create a Door that   
was not bound to the Castle. In my first experiment the spell's   
parameters were too broad. *This* Door..."  
  
"...has been made to open within the Castle's boundaries," I   
finished for him. I was filled with foreboding.   
  
"Professor," I murmured, my throat so dry that I could barely   
speak. "Surely you must realize what you've done. You've created a   
portal leading into Hogwarts."  
  
Snape's voice managed to be the coldest thing in the room, which   
was quite an accomplishment. "My Door is heavily Warded, Filch."   
  
Though I couldn't see him, I felt his angry gaze boring into my   
back. It was sharp as an icy knife. And I could hear the sneer in his   
tone as plain as day.  
  
No one could say that Severus Snape didn't know how to cast   
protective Wards. The spells that sustained the circle were formidable.   
But the mirror was subtly draining the circle's power. Perhaps only a   
Squib would have been able to detect the flow of magic and the steady   
depletion of the Wards.  
  
I turned to look at Severus. He'd succeeded where everyone since   
Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff had failed. And I had come to   
take his creation away from him, in the very moment of his triumph. My   
heart ached for the proud Potions Master.  
  
"Your circle is strong," I agreed. "But it won't hold   
indefinitely, and then anything will be able to get in. This Door will   
become a breach in our defenses. Your mirror cannot stay where it is."   
  
"Do you intend to confiscate my Door?" Severus snarled at me. "You   
would DARE? I'm not a student who you've caught with some forbidden   
trinket from your wretched List!"  
  
No, he was certainly not a student. He was a grown wizard. And if   
I could avoid provoking him, he would remember that. I bit my tongue.  
  
The Bloody Baron came to my aid. "I had hoped it would be   
otherwise," the Slytherin spectre said, grimly. "But your warning must   
be heeded." The ghost fixed me with his disconcerting stare. "Do what   
you must," he added. Then he vanished.  
  
Poor Snape. He looked as if he'd been expecting the Baron to   
either support him or stay neutral. His expression was livid.  
  
The Potions Master said nothing. And the silence stretched between   
us until it felt unbearable.   
  
Severus could not feel his Wards getting thinner as the moments   
passed. But I knew that time was slipping away, time that we couldn't   
afford to lose. One of us had to speak. If he wouldn't, then it would   
have to be me.  
  
"Professor," I murmured. "Believe me, I understand what I'm asking   
of you. I would not do this if it wasn't necessary."   
  
The Potions Master's pale hands were clenched.  
  
I sighed. "Moving your Door out of here is going to be difficult.   
And dangerous as well. I will need your help if I am to succeed."  
  
As I watched, Snape slowly mastered his fury.   
  
"Very well, Filch. What would you have me do?"   
  
No one could have called his tone gracious. But he would do what   
had to be done. He always did.   
  
"Professor Flitwick has Warded your classroom against the   
Founders' Doors. I cannot summon green-and-silver to come to me here.   
And I must take the Alchemist's Door through Salazar's Tapestry. We need   
to bring the mirror to the tapestry somehow."  
  
"You're going to take a Door through another Door?" Snape looked   
at me sharply. "Can you do that?"  
  
I had been told to 'put the thing away in its proper place.' And   
the Tapestry could be depended on to take me to wherever that was. My   
faith in the Castle was absolute. It would not to ask me to do the   
impossible.   
  
"Yes, Professor."  
  
Severus frowned, considering. "Well, attempting to remove   
Flitwick's Unreachable Charm would not be my first choice. That Charm is   
one of his more intricate spells. It would be safer for me to move the   
mirror out into the corridor. And my circle with it.'Safer' being a   
relative term, of course." His tone was dry.   
  
"I trust that my circle has enough strength remaining to be   
moved?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, Professor," I said, focusing on the Warded circle. "But,   
please don't be too long about it."   
  
To my dismay, I could sense the presence of something Dark and   
nasty already probing at the Alchemist's Door. Apparently Azoth could   
sense it too. The little tom's fur was bristling. He looked like a   
small, black hedgehog.  
  
Murmuring a sibilant spell under his breath, Severus walked around   
the edges of the mirror's circle, tracing a complex pattern in the air   
with his wand.   
  
Glowing bluish-white, the circle began to stretch and elongate.   
Undulating in a rather slug-like way, it flowed towards the open   
classroom door. The mirror moved with it, staying within the circle.  
  
Even if I had not sensed the power needed to move both Door and   
circle together, I would have seen the toll that working the spell was   
taking on Severus. Despite the frigid temperatures in the room, the   
Potions Master's thin face was shiny with sweat.  
  
Hurrying ahead of the slowly moving mirror, I went to the   
classroom door. Green-and-silver still waited for me in the corridor.  
  
"Let me float the mirror over to you, Filch. Do not reach for it,   
no matter what happens," Snape said, tightly. It appeared that he was   
becoming aware of the danger as well.  
  
Did he take me for a Gryffindor or a Slytherin? Biting back an   
indignant reply, I simply nodded.  
  
The Alchemist's Door had nearly reached the corridor when our luck   
ran out. The surface of the mirror tossed and rippled like the lake in a   
windstorm. Then a ghastly creature burst through the mirror into the   
weakened circle.   
  
It was a monster that not even Hagrid could have loved, an   
abomination. It vaguely resembled a headless bear. Except for the fact   
that it had too many arms and a gaping, sharp-toothed vertical mouth   
bisecting its belly.  
  
I would have screamed but Azoth did it for me. The little cat's   
heart-rending yowl was followed by a slavering roar from the bear-  
creature.  
  
"Oh, Bloody HELL," Severus snarled, glowering at the beast.   
  
Before I could stop him, Snape proved once again that Slytherins   
are just as reckless as Gryffindors. Growling a harsh shielding spell,   
Severus darted into the fading circle.   
  
"*Petrificus Totalis*!" he snarled, aiming his wand at the thing,   
even as he ducked under its slashing claws.   
  
His spells slowed the creature down quite a bit, but did not stop   
it. I saw blood drawn as the creature's claws raked across the Potions   
Master's back.   
  
Teeth gritted in pain, Severus stayed between the monster and me.   
He floated the Alchemist's Door out of the circle. "Take the mirror and   
RUN!" he snapped. "This creature is nothing I can't handle on my own.   
Don't just stand there, you fool! GO!"  
  
My arms wrapped tightly around the icy Alchemist's Door, I obeyed   
Severus. I was sick with fear for him, but I had my own job to do.   
  
The mingled sounds of the beast's muffled roars and Severus's   
snarled spells followed me as I stumbled out of the Potions classroom.   
My slippered feet skidded on the frozen corridor floor as I stepped into   
green-and-silver.  
  
"Take me to wherever this wretched thing needs to be!" I gasped.   
"Please!"  
  
Holding the mirror, I vanished into the Tapestry.  
  
********  
  
When the Alchemist's Door passed through the Tapestry, the   
mingling of their power rang through my bones and made my hair stand on   
end. Though my journey lasted no more than a heartbeat, it somehow felt   
endless. I could feel a deep bass chord throbbing all around me, echoing   
away into an unimaginable void.  
  
Breathing hard as I emerged from the Tapestry, I half-expected to   
find myself in the gloom of Salazar's vast Chamber of Secrets. But   
Salazar's Door had brought me to another place entirely. An old place.   
As ancient as Rowena's Library, Helga's Workroom and Godric's Keep.   
  
"Slytherins have more Secrets than anyone," Severus had told me,   
once. Now I understood what he must have meant.   
  
Salazar Slytherin's other secret chamber was a small study. Simple   
and austere, rather like a monk's cell. Directly in front of me was a   
low couch. There were bookshelves on either side of it, forlorn and   
empty now.   
  
After the terrible cold of the Potions classroom, the Study felt   
pleasantly warm. The sunlight filling the room had a greenish tinge to   
it, as though the light shone through a verdant skylight somewhere   
above. Anxiously, I looked around, searching for the place that the   
Alchemist's Door belonged.  
  
There was a tapestry on the wall opposite me. It was a jungle   
scene woven in deep, rich colors.  
  
At first I saw only trees, vines and creepers. Then I noticed the   
snakes. Every type imaginable, all different sizes. Some were plain,   
others gleamed like jewels. They twined together sinuously, weaving in   
and out of sight in a hypnotic swaying dance. Their eyes were bright   
with wisdom and mischief.   
  
The Lady had not neglected Salazar Slytherin when she'd woven her   
decorations for the other Founders' secret rooms. But I knew that this   
was no mere adornment.  
  
And somehow, I knew what I had to do. Taking a deep breath, I   
stepped through the Serpent Tapestry. The mirror reacted to this passage   
with a clear, ringing sound. The sweet purity of it made my heart ache.  
  
For a moment the place that I found myself in seemed no bigger   
than a broom cupboard. Then I felt the walls rushing away from me as the   
area within them seemed to expand.  
  
Breathing hard, I kept my grip on the mirror. This was the place   
that Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff had made to safely hold the   
Alchemist's Door. A secret place filled with great and terrible power.  
  
Ahead of me in the gloom I could see a plain wooden stand that   
appeared to have been made to hold the mirror. I couldn't tell if the   
stand was only a few steps away or much further off than that. But I had   
to reach it.  
  
My attention fixed firmly on my goal, I stepped forward. Then, to   
my horror, I felt the mirror begin quiver and vibrate. Oh, no. Another   
creature was coming through...  
  
The monster that emerged was the size of a bull-walrus, and   
segmented like a Skrewt. It had a multitude of legs, undulating beneath   
it like a fringed curtain.   
  
The thing turned to strike, rearing above me. Three long beak-like   
protrusions extended from its head. These opened as the beast raised its   
head towards the sky. It emitted an earsplitting roar.   
  
I cowered down, holding the mirror above me like a shield.  
  
But the creature didn't attack. Its attention seemed fixed on   
something above us. I heard the roar became a shrill, wailing scream.   
  
Shrieking in fear, the monster dove straight down at me. But I   
wasn't its target. It went through the mirror, back to wherever it had   
come from.  
  
What had terrified the beast? With a sinking feeling in the pit of   
my stomach, I looked up, peeking nervously around the Alchemist's Door.  
  
The space above me was limitless. Stars wheeled overhead. And   
something vast moved towards me, blotting the stars out as It came.   
  
A swaying, sinuous shape... a monstrous Serpent. Blacker than   
night, a creature out of nightmare and myth. Maybe huge enough to curl   
itself around the Earth and grasp its own tail in its mouth.  
  
It was still unimaginably far away, but coming closer. The jeweled   
eyes glowed, huge and pale as great silvery moons.   
  
My heart nearly stopped beating. Weak with terror, I wrenched my   
eyes downwards. Then I shut them tightly.   
  
Blessed Merlin! Please don't let that thing eat me. I promise I'll   
be kind to Myrtle. I'll fetch her every pink and purple tile her ghostly   
heart desires...  
  
Hugging the mirror, I grovelled on the ground.   
  
I thought of Hagrid, channeling the Castle's power for an entire   
night. He'd been given a task that only he could do and he'd kept right   
on going. Could I do any less?   
  
I opened my eyes though I stubbornly refused to look up again.   
Whether It chose to eat me or ignore me, the Serpent would do as It   
willed. There was nothing I could do except try to go about my business.   
  
Tottering to my feet, I staggered forward with the mirror. The   
mirror stand was much closer now, almost within reach.  
  
A reverberating, thunderous hiss like the grating sound of whole   
mountains falling down filled the air. I imagined the vast Serpent so   
far above me, its maw gaping as wide as the sky.  
  
Merlin, protect me. Let me do what I've come here to do.  
  
Whimpering, I longed to cover my ears. But it would have meant   
letting go of the mirror.   
  
At last I reached the stand. My hands shook as I settled the   
Alchemist's Door onto it. There. The job was done.  
  
I longed to run back to the Serpent Tapestry. But I didn't have   
the strength. Anyhow, I suspected that running wouldn't be the wisest   
thing for me to do.   
  
Trembling from head to foot, I moved at a walk. Though I did not   
look up, I felt the dreadful, pressing weight of the Serpent's gaze on   
me.   
  
Just as I reached the Serpent Tapestry, the Creature hissed at me   
again. The sound turned my legs to jelly and my blood to water. But then   
I was safe, back in Salazar's Study.  
  
The couch looked so inviting. I wanted to curl up and sleep for   
days. But I had to find out what had happened to Severus. I stumbled   
towards green-and-silver.  
  
********  
  
The Potions Classroom was warmer than it had been. The bear-  
creature was gone. Severus had got rid of it though he'd destroyed the   
remainder of the student desks in the process. The room was a total   
shambles.   
  
Severus was sitting cross-legged on the floor, slumped against the   
wall. Azoth, released from his protective circle now that the danger was   
passed, was curled in his wizard's lap. The little cat purred softly as   
Severus stroked him.  
  
Silently, I stumbled over to sit on the floor near them. I rested   
my head on my drawn-up knees. It was a while before Snape broke the   
silence.  
  
"Are you all right, Filch?"  
  
"I'm not hurt, Professor. How are you?" My voice was muffled.  
  
"I've been better."   
  
When Severus spoke again, his voice was harsh. "If you're going to   
tell me that I shouldn't have made the accursed thing, you needn't   
bother. You were right all along. I should have listened to you."  
  
Hmmph. I would have got around to saying 'I told you so'   
eventually. But the guilt and self-loathing in poor Severus's voice had   
killed any satisfaction that I might have got out of it.  
  
"At first I only meant to read Slytherin's notes," he said,   
miserably. "Purely as an intellectual exercise, since the Alchemist's   
Door has been a legend for centuries. But then the work seemed so...   
possible."   
  
He sighed. "Once I began, I had to persevere. Every difficulty,   
every setback only made me more determined to succeed."  
  
Despite the situation, I smiled. He hadn't changed in all the   
years I'd known him. Too inquisitive, determined and stubborn for his   
own good... that was Severus. I put my hand on his shoulder.   
  
"It's Salazar's Slytherin's fault as much as yours," I said,   
gruffly. "Now at least we know why he wanted his Door hidden away."  
  
*******  
  
At my insistence, we went up to the hospital wing. I wanted to   
clean and bandage his wounds.   
  
Azoth stayed near Severus as the young wizard removed his torn   
robes and the shirt beneath. The gashes on his back were nasty-looking,   
but at least they weren't too deep.  
  
Snape did not go into detail concerning his defeat of the bear-  
creature. The battle had been swift and to the point, he told me,   
grimly. All that mattered was that the Alchemist's Door had been put   
away somewhere safe and well guarded.   
  
"I can venture a guess as to where you must have taken it. There   
were references to another Chamber in Salazar's letters," he murmured.   
"And a Chamber within a Chamber."  
  
He paused, but I said nothing.  
  
"A guardian was mentioned briefly, but there were no details given   
as to its nature. Did you see it? What was it, Filch? A serpent of some   
sort, I'd imagine. Another Basilisk?"  
  
My hands shook. The bandages seemed to knot themselves around my   
fingers. I realized that I was trembling all over.  
  
One of Snape's dark eyebrows rose as he twisted to look at me.   
"That bad? *Worse* than a Basilisk?"  
  
Closing my eyes tightly, I nodded.   
  
A guardian, was it? Doubtless I had been permitted to enter the   
inner Chamber only because the Serpent had recognized me as a fellow-  
guardian. Would It have spared me otherwise? I hadn't been able to   
answer when It spoke. Only a Parselmouth could possibly...  
  
I felt sick.   
  
"No one could pass that terrible creature on any business save the   
Castle's... except a Parselmouth," I choked. "Do you realize what that   
means? The Alchemist's Door is barred to all, except The Dark Lord   
himself! Oh, Sweet Merlin in a cloven pine, we're doomed."  
  
"Pull yourself together, Filch," Snape said, sharply. His eyes   
glittered. "The Dark Lord isn't the only Parselmouth in the wizarding   
world, is he?"  
  
"Wh-what?" I wheezed.  
  
Snape's tone was bitter as bile. "Don't be stupid. You know   
perfectly well who I'm talking about."  
  
My mouth fell open.   
  
"Don't *look* at me like that," he said. "Potter can talk to the   
guardian, can't he? He can tell the thing to stop any other Parselmouth   
from getting through."  
  
"No! We can't send him in there. That thing is much too   
dangerous!"  
  
"Since when has that ever discouraged Potter?" Severus demanded.   
"And what do you suggest we do instead? Parselmouths are rather thin on   
the ground."  
  
"I can't bring the boy to the Alchemist's Door," I said, stiffly.   
"The path I used is closed to him."   
  
Harry could certainly talk his way through the Serpent Tapestry,   
but only green-and-silver could reach the Study. I would not take a   
Gryffindor through Salazar's tapestry.  
  
"I expected as much," Snape said, grimly. "But Potter and I should   
be able to find an alternate route to this guardian. Don't shake your   
head at me, Argus. Of course I intend to accompany Potter! Did you   
really think I'd allow the boy to go on his own?"  
  
"Professor, if you had seen that Creature you'd never...!" My   
voice trailed off. Describing the vast Serpent to Severus would probably   
only serve to encourage him. Where rushing into danger was concerned, he   
was every bit as bad as Potter.  
  
"We can't ask Harry," I protested instead. "He has too many   
burdens on him as it is. He mustn't find out anything about the   
Alchemist's Door, the other Chambers and the Guardian!"  
  
Snape's eyes glittered. "What a splendid suggestion, Filch," he   
said, sarcastically. "We'll attempt to conceal everything from the boy   
and his little friends."   
  
He scowled. "You know as well as I do that if Potter, Weasley and   
Granger remain true to form, they'll have found the inner Chamber by   
Christmas."  
  
Severus glowered at me. "Potter eludes those who try to protect   
him as handily as he eludes his enemies. We might as well use that to   
our advantage, for once."  
  
Numbly, I sat on the bed next to his. Azoth settled onto my lap. I   
stroked the little tom, too upset to speak.  
  
"With Potter's assistance, we may even be able to use the   
Alchemist's Door to trap the Dark Lord," Snape murmured. "Ensnare a   
Parselmouth with a Parselmouth."   
  
He closed his eyes, wearily. "I'd do it all on my own, if only I   
could. Believe me, I don't like the idea of using the boy any better   
than you do."  
  
I believed him. He looked completely wretched.  
  
"At least if Potter accompanies me I can protect him, foolhardy   
brat that he is," Snape said. He massaged his temples.  
  
"He's not a brat, Professor." The words were out before I could   
stop them. "He has a good heart."  
  
Snape looked as if he didn't know whether to laugh or sneer.   
"Joined Potter's fan-club, have you?"  
  
"You know me better than that," I said, crossly. "It's not because   
he's famous. I can't help but feel for him. He's too inquisitive for his   
own good. Not to mention stubborn. Trouble seems to follow him, no   
matter what he does. But he always tries to do the right thing.   
  
"Puts me in mind of another student I knew, and cared about." I   
gave him a pointed stare.  
  
Severus glowered at me. 'You can't possibly mean what I think you   
mean,' his expression said plainly. After a moment, he looked away.  
  
"We needn't rush off to fetch the boy to Hogwarts just yet," he   
said, changing the subject. "Voldemort knows nothing about the remaking   
of the Alchemist's Door. I never spoke about it to anyone, except for   
Minerva and you. That should buy us some time."  
  
********  
  
To think that I had begged Dumbledore to bring Harry back to   
Hogwarts for the summer.   
  
How glad I was now that I'd failed! Let the boy enjoy his time   
with Sirius and Minerva. Let him look forward to a visit with Ron   
Weasley's family in a few weeks. I hoped that Harry Potter would not   
come anywhere near Hogwarts until the start of the September term.  
End of Chapter Two  
  
Epilogue coming soon....  
Author's Notes:  
  
Jelsemium: Thanks!! Yes, the Thing in the Forest wasn't expecting any   
opposition. Hagrid wasn't even supposed to be there.  
  
Neville's a sweet kid. He keeps his promises. Ginny's going to write to   
Filch too.  
  
I love the idea of Myrtle going to classes! If Binns can teach, she can   
learn! I also love the idea of Sirius getting enlisted in the renovating   
effort.  
  
Yep, poor Filch does a lot of running around in his nightshirt.   
(Sometimes he thinks he should just sleep in his clothes, poor old   
grump.)  
  
minnowgirl: Thanks!! I enjoy stories where the characters learn from   
their mistakes. Filch knew that Sirius was right, and he was determined   
to be fair to Fluffy next time.   
  
Jodel: Thanks!! Yes, Salazar has another Chamber (or actually, a   
Chamber-within-another-Chamber) and a different serpent guardian. Filch   
was fortunate that he didn't have to try to talk his way past the   
Serpent. It is quite intelligent, and recognized the nature of his   
errand.  
  
I love the idea of Dudley researching magic on the internet. The notion   
of Harry using the computer as a potential research tool intrigues me...   
surely there are Muggle-born witches and wizards who use computers.   
Maybe Dudley can show him things when Vernon and Petunia aren't around.  
  
Myrtle's bathroom should look quite nice when it's all finished. She's   
trying to find shades that go together, and frustrated that Filch   
doesn't share her artistic 'vision.'  
  
Quoth the Raven: Thanks! Yes, Severus had to try again. He's just like a   
curious kitten when it comes to finding trouble. Your take on Dudley is   
great! "He's not sure how, and he doesn't know from what" but, yes, he's   
going to protect his cousin from all the freaky things that seem to be   
out to get him. If Vernon or Petunia notice Dudley's research he'll tell   
them that he's "looking something up for a game."  
  
Azoth is not humbled by the fact that he is a very small cat in a very   
large world. He does his best to protect his wizard. (In his spare   
moments he's slowly claiming the world, one object at a time.)  
  
Only someone with Hagrid's stamina could have survived being the   
Castle's focus for that long. The way I see it, both Hagrid and Filch   
are uniquely suited for their positions as Groundskeeper and Caretaker.  
  
Zahri Seb Melitor: Thanks!! Myrtle thinks her choice of colors look   
quite nice together. Eventually she's going to ask for rose-pink hand   
towels to match the floor, sinks and ceiling. And little pink and purple   
fancy soaps! The replacment for the sink with the Serpent tap will also   
have a Serpent tap, in rose-pink. (Or maybe lilac or plum. Myrtle keeps   
chaging her mind.)  
  
Christy: Thanks!!  
  
Bob: Thanks!! Filch is rather in awe of the Sorting Hat. He would only   
use it with Dumbledore's permission, but it certainly could be a   
painless way to communicate with the Castle.  
  
Poor Severus. He's successfully created something that hasn't existed   
for a thousand years, and now he feels really guilty about it. His luck   
is running true to form.  
  
The Castle was using Filch's subconscious to communicate with him. The   
emotion behind the "wake up, there's work to be done" message translated   
itself into Pringle in Filch's mind.   
  
(Pringle was a caretaker, not a Caretaker. Dippet was a headmaster, not   
a Headmaster. But Ogg was a Groundskeeper. Unless things are especialy   
'interesting' in the wizarding world, the Castle usually only Notices   
one person at a time. It's rare to have a Headmaster, Groundskeeper and   
Caretaker all at once. And it's not a good sign. It means troubled times   
ahead.)  
  
snapefan51: Thanks!! Filch isn't enjoying the redecorating much, but   
he's got even bigger problems too! Poor Snape always has to learn things   
the hard way.  
  
Aeryn Alexander: Thanks!! I loved the idea of Dudley doing magical   
research on the internet.  
  
Falco: Thanks!! I'm hoping that Rowling herself will show more sides to   
Dudley. Even if she doesn't, I feel a lot of sympathy for him.  
  
Barbara: Thanks!! It makes me feel really good to know that you kept   
checking for new stories! This story is short, but I hope to begin   
another one soon.  
  
I'd guess that Moody has some prior arrangements in place for the   
printing of top-secret, sensitive documents.  
  
The Amazing Maurice: Thanks!! I'm so glad to be back. When I can't write   
anything I feel like something's missing from my life.  
  
Emma: Thanks!! All these kind welcomes make me feel very warm and fuzzy!  
  
Alchemine: Thanks!! I think that Hagrid and Filch have a long-term   
friendship, though neither would admit to it. Dudley was being pretty   
brave, wasn't he? Considering how badly he's come off in just about   
every encounter he's had with magic. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that   
Rowling will show more sides to him. I loved your obervation about   
Myrtle!  
  
Andrea13: Thanks!! Yes, Severus loves to play with trouble. When it   
comes to curiosity, he's rather cat-like.  
  
Jumperlass: Thanks!! You are exactly right about Snape's motivations. He   
couldn't resist a challenge. Filch's new attitude towards Harry   
irritates Snape. (He hopes it's just a stage that Filch is going   
through.)  
  
Bridgie: Thanks!! I've got a soft spot for Dudley. Writing Hagrid's   
dialogue is challenge, but I like the big guy so much that I've got to   
try. I'm glad to know that I get him to sound right.  
  
Alla: Thanks!!  
  
Tina: Thanks!! You've been keeping track? That makes me feel so good!  
  
Gksharer: Thanks!!  
  
Enfleurage: Thanks!! Filch and Snape are so much fun to write together.  
  
MK: Thanks!!  
  
Gramarye: Thanks!! Myrtle is of the opinion that her bathroom will look   
lovely when it's all finished.  
  
Darklady: Thanks!! Giants are often referred to as being older than   
humans, so pureblooded wizards have nothing on Hagrid when it comes to   
ancient lineage. Is Hagrid considered 'pureblooded?' Considering what   
most of the wizarding world seems to think of giants, I'd have to guess   
no. I like the idea of Hagrid being the object of student crushes. He's   
a sweetie.  
  
Snape will confess his responsibility for the creation of the   
Alchemist's Door. The poor man is beating himself up over it. Accepting   
help from none other than Harry Potter is part of his self-imposed   
penance.  
  
Toby Kincaid: Thanks!! I hope that you enjoyed the story... sorry, no   
Moody, though he was mentioned. 


	3. Putting Out The Welcome Mat

Squib Guardian  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
Sequel to "Squib Summer"  
Epilogue: Putting Out the Welcome Mat  
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling  
Shortly after I had finished cleaning up the mess in the Potions   
classroom, the Professor came to me with a small wooden chest in his   
arms. The chest was locked. The protective spells that he'd placed on it   
smelled like burnt rubber and left a taste of ashes in my mouth.  
  
"Take this, Filch," he said, stiffly. "Hide it somewhere."  
  
Severus did not have to tell me what was in the chest. I knew.   
Salazar's letters to Helga. Along with the notes on the making of the   
Alchemist's Door.  
  
"Yes, Professor." I studied him with concern. There were dark   
circles under his eyes. Guilt and anger (directed inward, not at me)   
were evident in his face and in the tension of his body. Judging from   
the way he moved, the wounds on his back were paining him.  
  
I wanted to say something comforting, but nothing came to mind.   
Kindness has never been my forte. Though perhaps no one could have   
comforted Severus at that moment, not even the Headmaster.  
  
"I'll take care of it. Try to rest," I told him, gruffly. Then I   
turned away before he could snarl at me for telling him what to do.  
  
Bearing the chest, I went through black-and-yellow to Helga's   
Workroom. In a corner, beneath a pile of cheerfully embroidered   
cushions, I concealed the chest.   
  
As I stood up, a long bundle bound with a yellow cord slid from   
the heap of cushions. It landed at my feet with a thump.   
  
Unwrapping the bundle, I found a sturdy mat. It was woven of   
grass, the golden color of ripe wheat. At first glance it was very plain   
but the work was intricate and lovely.  
  
Wrapped up inside the mat was another package. When I unwrapped   
it, I found a small green and silver bell.  
  
A Weaver's work is ever subtle, but I was beginning to know the   
Lady's spells well enough to understand what needed to be done.  
  
********  
  
Black-and-yellow brought me to the Fat Friar, who was with Myrtle.   
The two ghosts were in the corridor outside the ghost-girl's bathroom.   
Myrtle sounded quite happy as she prattled on about rose-colored glass   
blocks.   
  
I was impressed by the Friar's ability to look genuinely   
interested. (It did not occur to me to worry about what Myrtle wanted   
the glass blocks for, until later.)   
  
"Good afternoon, Mr. Filch. Is there something that Myrtle and I   
can do for you?" the Friar asked me, smiling. He nodded towards the   
bundle in my arms.  
  
I'd been looking for him, but there was no reason why Myrtle   
couldn't help me as well. In fact the more helpers I had, the better it   
would be.  
  
After asking Myrtle and the Friar to spread word of what I needed   
to the house-elves and the other ghosts (and Peeves too, if he happened   
to feel agreeable for a change), I summoned green-and-silver.  
  
********  
  
Carrying the mat, I stepped through Salazar's Door into his Study.   
Despite the grey day outside, warm verdant sunlight filled the austere   
little room.  
  
The way to the inner Chamber had been closed.   
  
No matter how long and hard I stared at the Serpent Tapestry all I   
could see was jungle. Trees, vines, creepers. There wasn't a single   
snake in sight. While the snakes were in hiding this tapestry was   
nothing more than a decoration. Only a Parselmouth could command the   
snakes to appear and demand entry, now that the Alchemist's Door was in   
place.  
  
Unrolling the mat, I put it on the stone floor right in front of   
the Serpent Tapestry. As I watched, the mat seemed to blend itself with   
the floor. Unless one knew it was there, it was difficult to see.  
  
I stood on the mat and stepped off it again, several times. Then I   
tapped my foot on it while humming a Celestina Warbeck ballad.  
  
********  
  
The little bell had been left on my desk.  
  
Heading back through green-and-silver to my office, I waited. Soon   
ghosts drifted in and house-elves appeared, bringing me the news I'd   
requested. They'd been stationed all over the Castle, up in the   
Astronomy Tower and the Owlery, down in the deepest dungeon storeroom.   
In the library, the kitchens, the hospital wing, the trophy room, even   
outside by the greenhouses and near Hagrid's hut.   
  
I'd heard nothing in the Study. But everyone else had been able to   
hear the little bell's shrill ringing no matter where they'd been. The   
bell had pealed over and over again, every time that I'd stepped on the   
mat. Sir Nicholas reported that the sound had even set Fluffy and Fang   
barking madly.  
  
"Filch! What in the name of Hecate are you playing at?" Severus   
was stalking, wild-eyed, through the press of disappearing house-elves   
and departing ghosts, all of whom had been thanked for their help.   
  
"What was that infernal noise?" the Potions Master snarled. "I   
thought that perhaps the Castle was under attack! Are you starting a   
bell-ringers' society in your spare time?"  
  
"We were testing the new Welcome Mat and Door Bell, Professor," I   
said, apologetically. "Forgive me. I'd meant to let you sleep."  
  
Snape looked dreadful. The noise had plainly done more than wake   
him. The unexplained ringing must have made him fear the worst.  
  
"Lally?" I said to one of the elves who had not yet gone. "Please   
fetch the Professor a cup of tea."  
  
"I *don't* want..." Snape began, but it was too late. Bobbing a   
curtsey, the house-elf had smiled, nodded and vanished.  
  
********  
  
Severus's tea soon arrived, accompanied by a cup for me as well.   
There was also a plate of little sandwiches. And a dish of cream for   
Mrs. Norris and Azoth to share. The two cats greeted it with approval   
when they padded into my office a short while later.  
  
"Eat something," I suggested to the bleary-eyed Potions Master.   
"The house-elves will be disappointed if you don't. Or they'll think   
you're ill and start fussing at you."  
  
It was an effective threat. Snape did not want to find himself at   
the mercy of a horde of anxious elves, all of them eager for someone to   
look after. He took a sandwich and sipped his tea.  
  
"You're being terribly calm," he observed sourly.  
  
"I've taken what steps I can. If the Dark Lord should happen to   
learn of the Alchemist's Door, if he should happen to talk his way past   
the Guardian, then open the Serpent Tapestry and emerge into the Study,   
we will know. The Evil One won't be able to get any further. Green-and-  
silver is still the only known way to enter or leave that room. Even if   
Salazar's Door is there, he won't be able to get through it. Consider   
what happened to you. You're merely the bearer of a Dark mark, not the   
Dark wizard who created it."  
  
I saw a shudder ripple through green-and-silver which still hung   
on my office wall. Then the tapestry drooped in sorrow. Rising, I went   
to it and gave the poor thing a comforting pat.  
  
"It's not a trap," I said. "It's more of a cul de sac. But it will   
serve, for now."  
  
"Until September, at least." Snape's tone was bleak. "Then I can   
bring Potter in there to see if he can control the Guardian."   
  
He'd told me that he intended to start researching possible   
alternate routes to the Study as soon as possible.  
  
I shivered. "I don't think either Harry or the Evil One will be   
able to control that Creature. But Potter's chances at surviving a   
conversation with it are as good as the Dark Lord's."  
  
"I won't let anything happen to the boy, Argus," Severus said,   
stiffly. "The Guardian will have to kill me before it harms him."  
  
Was that supposed to be reassuring, I wondered. But I kept that   
thought to myself.  
  
Snape scowled into his teacup. "If the beast tries to attack   
Potter, the brat can always disappear," the Potions Master said. "I'll   
have him bring that Invisibility Cloak of his along. It will improve his   
chances."  
  
He gave me a snide look. "I nearly forgot. You don't believe me   
about that Cloak. Do you, Filch?"  
  
I sighed. "As a matter of fact, Professor, I do. You were right.   
Potter does have an Invisibility Cloak. I'm sorry. I should have   
believed you."  
  
Snape looked astonished for a moment. Then he raised an eyebrow.   
"What convinced you?"  
  
"It's a bit of a long story."  
  
"Tell me. I've got time."  
  
********  
  
When I'd finished my account of the experience that Potter and I   
had shared in Muggle London, Severus regarded me in silence for a while   
before he spoke.  
  
"The Headmaster really admitted that he might have made an ill   
choice? That he'd been unfair? And that he would tell me so himself, if   
he could? What did he mean by that last, Argus?"  
  
"I don't know," I said very softly.   
  
Severus frowned, sighed, then frowned again. He went quiet once   
more.   
  
"The Headmaster called the Cloak an extra form of protection," he   
muttered after a while, scowling. "Usually it's Potter's own arrogance   
and recklessness that gets him in situations where such protections are   
necessary."  
  
He spoke again before I could protest that Potter wasn't arrogant.   
His tone was bitter and caustic. "This time, the arrogance was mine. I   
don't begrudge the boy any potential advantage if it will help him   
survive.  
  
"Filch, if you ever tell Potter I said that, you'll regret it."  
  
"You needn't worry, Professor. Even if I said anything to Potter,   
he wouldn't believe me."  
  
*******  
  
That night on my way to bed, I went through green-and-silver to   
Salazar's Study. I had no wish to disturb the entire Castle, so I was   
careful not to step on the mat.   
  
Soothing, green-tinted sunlight shone down on me as I sat on the   
couch. Mrs. Norris, who had accompanied me, leaped up to settle herself   
on my lap. She purred softly, kneading my breeches with her claws.  
  
My cat had closed her eyes, but she flicked an ear at me to let me   
know she was listening. I told her what I had surmised and said to   
Severus, in the hope of offering him some comfort.  
  
"Slytherin's leaving tore away a piece of the Castle's heart, you   
know. The Alchemist's Door meant that he would have a swift way back if   
he ever needed one. Allowing its creation was a risk. But, he's as much   
a part of this place as any of the other Founders. And so, the Castle   
chose to take the chance."  
  
I could not tell if Severus had found any consolation in what I'd   
said. But I hoped so.  
  
"Come, my sweet," I sighed. "It's been a long day. And for now,   
we've done all we can do."  
  
  
  
The End  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Silverfox: Thanks!! Azoth, the small black cat smooths his fur and   
sniffs curiously at Greenie, the little green hedgehog. "Hmmm. A   
potential minion/ally to aid me in my quest to take over the world from   
the doorknobs down..." the Slytherin kitten thinks. :O)  
  
Dudley is kind of cute, charging into battle with his Smelting stick.  
  
Jelsemium: Thanks!! Poor Snape, feeling guilty isn't improving his   
temper. But he's still more intelligent and reasonable than Minister   
Fudge. "If you build it, they will come." LOL! Filch knows that he   
shouldn't use that line about Slytherins and Gryffindors in front of   
Snape and Harry, but he probably will anyway.  
  
Jormungandr is the inspiration for the Guardian. He once appeared in a   
nightmare of mine. I was on this vast, empty plain and this huge THING   
was coming down to get me! It kept getting bigger and bigger and it was   
still so far away, and its open mouth was as wide as the sky. It makes   
my heart pound just thinking about it.  
  
Hagrid and the Guardian would probably appreciate each other, if Harry   
came along to act as translator, and Hagrid did NOT bring a big hammer   
with him.  
  
Snape won't say what he did with the first monster. And the new jars and   
flasks in his office are completely beside the point.  
  
Filch will try his best to tell Harry and Snape what they'll be facing.   
He hopes that they won't think he's exaggerating.  
  
SinhoBadaro: Thanks for your kind comments, and for waiting!! I feel   
delighted every time someone cares about Filch. The poor old grump needs   
all the care he can get.  
  
ThePet: Thanks!! I've missed writing. Writer's block is the pits.  
  
Quoth the Raven: Thanks!! Yes, having Secrets within Secrets is so   
Slytherin. Poor Snape feels he has another mistake to atone for. He   
knows that Harry is the only one who can help with this particular   
problem. Filch isn't quite sure what will happen if he tries taking   
Harry through Salazar's Door, but he has a very bad feeling about it.  
  
Tasogare no hime: Thanks!! Filch and Snape talked about the Cloak in   
this chapter. (Snape's calm reaction surprised me a bit, really.)  
  
Alla: Thanks!! At first Argus thought that Snape meant to force Harry to   
talk to the Guardian too. He was afraid for Harry and angry at Severus.   
Then, when Severus said that he meant to go with Harry, Filch became   
afraid for both of them. Thank you for the kind words about how well I   
write Castle!   
  
Bridgie: Thanks for your comments, both here and on livejournal!! I am   
hoping to write a story where Harry gets to talk to the Guardian, 'Poor   
Filch' is right; sometimes the Professors are as much trouble as the   
students.  
  
Shadowycat: Thanks!! Your compliments on my writing style and the way   
that I handle the characters make me feel so good! Jelsemium and I are   
in the planning stages of a story featuring Harry, Snape and Filch. Your   
reviews brighten my day too!  
  
Bob: Thanks!! Harry doesn't know yet that he has the power to command   
red-and-gold. Filch can't tell him because he doesn't know either. But   
Harry has a talent for finding things out, especially when he's got Ron   
and Hermione to help.  
  
That's a good point about the Basilisk harvesting! I really like your   
thoughts about the other Founders and their storage spaces. And your   
thoughts about Harry's status as Champion. Generally it takes the Castle   
decades to Notice someone. But Harry is certainly being eminently   
noticeable.  
  
Aeryn Alexander: Thanks!! Scary was what I was trying for with the   
Guardian. It's from a nightmare I had.  
  
Toby Kincaid: Thanks!! Snape was too mad at himself to get very angry   
with Filch.  
  
Christy: Thanks!! Having writer's block for all those months was   
depressing. I hope to start another story soon.  
  
Andrea13: Thanks!! I enjoy hearing about which lines you liked!! The   
Serpent Tapestry's function is to keep out anyone who's not a   
Parselmouth. Unlike the Squib Doors which move all through the Castle   
and the grounds, the Serpent Tapestry stays put in an a secret area.   
Salazar didn't think such extensive protective spells were necessary.  
  
MK: Thanks for the kind words on the Guardian! 


End file.
